Psalms 118:22

118:22 The stone which the builders discarded ¹ 

has become the cornerstone. ² 

Isaiah 8:14-15

8:14 He will become a sanctuary, ³ 

but a stone that makes a person trip,

and a rock that makes one stumble –

to the two houses of Israel. ⁴ 

He will become ⁵  a trap and a snare

to the residents of Jerusalem. ⁶ 

8:15 Many will stumble over the stone and the rock, ⁷ 

and will fall and be seriously injured,

and will be ensnared and captured.”

Isaiah 28:16

28:16 Therefore, this is what the sovereign master, the Lord, says:

“Look, I am laying ⁸  a stone in Zion,

an approved ⁹  stone,

set in place as a precious cornerstone for the foundation. ¹⁰ 

The one who maintains his faith will not panic. ¹¹ 

Matthew 21:42-44

21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. ¹² 

This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? ¹³ 

21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people ¹⁴  who will produce its fruit. 21:44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” ¹⁵ 

Acts 4:11

4:11 This Jesus ¹⁶  is the stone that was rejected by you, ¹⁷  the builders, that has become the cornerstone. ¹⁸ 

Romans 9:33

9:33 just as it is written,

“Look, I am laying in Zion a stone that will cause people to stumble

and a rock that will make them fall, ¹⁹ 

yet the one who believes in him will not be put to shame.” ²⁰ 

Romans 9:1

Israel’s Rejection Considered

9:1 ²¹ I am telling the truth in Christ (I am not lying!), for my conscience assures me ²²  in the Holy Spirit –

Romans 2:4-8

2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know ²³  that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness ²⁴  and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! ²⁵  2:6 He ²⁶  will reward ²⁷  each one according to his works: ²⁸  2:7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, 2:8 but ²⁹  wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition ³⁰  and do not obey the truth but follow ³¹  unrighteousness.

[118:22]  ¹ tn Or “rejected.”

[118:22]  ² tn Heb “the head of the corner.”

[8:14]  ³ tn Because the metaphor of protection (“sanctuary”) does not fit the negative mood that follows in vv. 14b-15, some contend that מִקְדָּשׁ (miqdash, “sanctuary”) is probably a corruption of an original מוֹקֵשׁ (moqesh, “snare”), a word that appears in the next line (cf. NAB and H. Wildberger, Isaiah, 1:355-56). If the MT reading is retained (as in the above translation), the fact that Yahweh is a sanctuary wraps up the point of v. 13 and stands in contrast to God’s treatment of those who rebel against him (the rest of v. 14).

[8:14]  ⁴ sn The two “houses” of Israel (= the patriarch Jacob) are the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah.

[8:14]  ⁵ tn These words are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. וְהָיָה (vÿhayah, “and he will be”) does double duty in the parallel structure of the verse.

[8:14]  ⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[8:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “over them” (so NASB); NCV “over this rock.”

[28:16]  ⁸ tc The Hebrew text has a third person verb form, which does not agree with the first person suffix that precedes. The form should be emended to יֹסֵד (yosed), a Qal active participle used in a present progressive or imminent future sense.

[28:16]  ⁹ tn Traditionally “tested,” but the implication is that it has passed the test and stands approved.

[28:16]  ¹⁰ sn The reality behind the metaphor is not entirely clear from the context. The stone appears to represent someone or something that gives Zion stability. Perhaps the ideal Davidic ruler is in view (see 32:1). Another option is that the image of beginning a building project by laying a precious cornerstone suggests that God is about to transform Zion through judgment and begin a new covenant community that will experience his protection (see 4:3-6; 31:5; 33:20-24; 35:10).

[28:16]  ¹¹ tn Heb “will not hurry,” i.e., act in panic.

[21:42]  ¹² tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.

[21:42]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.

[21:43]  ¹⁴ tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).

[21:44]  ¹⁵ tc A few witnesses, especially of the Western text (D 33 it sy^s Or Eus^syr), do not contain 21:44. However, the verse is found in א B C L W Z (Θ) 0102 Ë^1,13 Ï lat sy^c,p,h co and should be included as authentic.

[4:11]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:11]  ¹⁷ tn The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22-24 and 3:12-15.

[4:11]  ¹⁸ sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.

[9:33]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”

[9:33]  ²⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 28:16; 8:14.

[9:1]  ²¹ sn Rom 9:1–11:36. These three chapters are among the most difficult and disputed in Paul’s Letter to the Romans. One area of difficulty is the relationship between Israel and the church, especially concerning the nature and extent of Israel’s election. Many different models have been constructed to express this relationship. For a representative survey, see M. Barth, The People of God (JSNTSup), 22-27. The literary genre of these three chapters has been frequently identified as a diatribe, a philosophical discussion or conversation evolved by the Cynic and Stoic schools of philosophy as a means of popularizing their ideas (E. Käsemann, Romans, 261 and 267). But other recent scholars have challenged the idea that Rom 9–11 is characterized by diatribe. Scholars like R. Scroggs and E. E. Ellis have instead identified the material in question as midrash. For a summary and discussion of the rabbinic connections, see W. R. Stegner, “Romans 9.6-29 – A Midrash,” JSNT 22 (1984): 37-52.

[9:1]  ²² tn Or “my conscience bears witness to me.”

[2:4]  ²³ tn Grk “being unaware.”

[2:5]  ²⁴ tn Grk “hardness.” Concerning this imagery, see Jer 4:4; Ezek 3:7; 1 En. 16:3.

[2:5]  ²⁵ tn Grk “in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

[2:6]  ²⁶ tn Grk “who.” The relative pronoun was converted to a personal pronoun and, because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[2:6]  ²⁷ tn Or “will render,” “will recompense.” In this context Paul is setting up a hypothetical situation, not stating that salvation is by works.

[2:6]  ²⁸ sn A quotation from Ps 62:12; Prov 24:12; a close approximation to Matt 16:27.

[2:8]  ²⁹ tn This contrast is clearer and stronger in Greek than can be easily expressed in English.

[2:8]  ³⁰ tn Grk “those who [are] from selfish ambition.”

[2:8]  ³¹ tn Grk “are persuaded by, obey.”